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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. swing — in golf
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. swing — music
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com